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Racing News from around the World
Longstanding Partner ExxonMobil Earns NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award
28 Nov 2018 Written by Steven B. WilsonExxonMobil’s Mobil 1 brand, the Official Motor Oil of NASCAR®, will be honored today with the 2018 NASCAR® Marketing Achievement Award during the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Luncheon held at the Wynn Las Vegas.
As an Official Partner of NASCAR for more than 15 years, Mobil 1 motor oil is widely recognized throughout the industry as a model partner. This year, the global brand continued its promotion of Mobil 1 Annual Protection motor oil, utilizing NASCAR as a catalyst to the national campaign. The Mobil 1 brand renewed its popular series of advertising creative featuring Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick by breaking two new television spots in 2018.
In a continuing effort to deliver exceptional product performance and protection, in 2018 ExxonMobil activated a cross-country road trip to put Mobil 1 Annual Protection motor oil – formulated to protect engines for 20,000 miles for all vehicle types guaranteed – to the test. The “Mobil 1 Annual Protection 20K Road Trip” began at their lubricant research facility outside Philadelphia and concluded at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The motor oil was put to the test in two used vehicles – a Chevrolet Equinox SUV and a Ford Fusion Sedan. The program included four “Pit Stops”: Sonoma Raceway with Kevin Harvick, Los Angeles with Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans), Atlanta at Walmart, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Clint Bowyer, Kyle Petty, and Dale Jarrett.
“We are dedicated to utilizing NASCAR as a platform to engage new and existing customers and it’s an honor to receive this prestigious award in recognition of that effort,” said Kai Decker, Motorsports & Sponsorship Manager, Lubricants Marketing, ExxonMobil. “We are proud of this partnership and committed to engaging fans by leveraging the most popular and exciting motorsports series in the country. We are looking forward to continued marketing success in 2019.”
This year, ExxonMobil activated its Mobil 1-brand team sponsorship with all four Stewart-Haas Racing drivers by featuring multiple paint schemes and its synthetic motor oil is used by more than 50 percent of the teams competing across the three-national series. At-track, the brand hosted approximately 1,000 customers across 12 NASCAR events, including VIP customer parties at Daytona International Speedway and Sonoma Raceway.
Additionally, the Mobil 1 brand became one of the cornerstone partners in the NASCAR Ultimate Performers program, bestowing the “Mobil 1 Performance Award” to the Monster Energy team that gains the most position during the race via green flag passes and on Pit Road. The program resulted in more than 3 million social impressions via NASCAR and winning team social accounts.
“Mobil 1 is one of the most recognizable brands in the world and marketed our sport to its massive customer base in exemplary fashion,” said Daryl Wolfe, EVP and Chief Sales and Partnership Officer, NASCAR. “In a sport that has been built upon effective and active corporate partnerships, Mobil 1 set itself apart by engaging fans across broadcast, social and digital, at-track and with our teams. It was an extraordinary year and we thank them for their long-standing partnership.”
The Mobil 1 brand amplified its digital and social activation throughout the season by sponsoring key digital properties such as Garage Cam, Race Takeovers, and NASCAR Drive. Additionally, the motor oil was a key sponsor of the Twitter In-Car Camera program for two races at Phoenix International Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
This is the first time the Mobil 1 brand has been awarded NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award. Other previous winners include: Comcast; Coca-Cola; Fox and NBC; Mars, Incorporated; and Toyota.
NASCAR’s Champion’s Week will conclude with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards. NBCSN will broadcast this year’s awards on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 9 p.m. ET with SiriusXM and Motor Racing Network (MRN) carrying the show live starting at 8 p.m. ET. For more information on NASCAR’s Champion Week in Las Vegas, please visit nascar.com.
NASCAR PR
Rivalry Building for Trenton Indoor Dirt Auto Racing Events On December 13-15
28 Nov 2018 Written by Steven B. WilsonA fierce rivalry is expected at the second annual East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals, December 13-15 at the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, NJ.
Stars of the Central PA Posse Sprint circuit, Dirt Modified and Midget Car competitors want nothing more than to show up the 600cc Micro Sprint regulars at their own game. Drivers who compete weekly on pavement speedways want to show the dirt drivers they can slide around and go fast on a tacky clay oval. The 120 drivers that have entered from 11 different states each want to prove they are the best.
The First Dirt Nationals was won by 36-year-old Staten Island, NY resident Whitey Kidd, III, a Micro Sprint regular. Kidd came from deep in the starting field to make a late race pass for the lead on Midget Car/Micro standout Alex Bright of Collegville, PA. Brian Carber of New Holland, Pa., a Sprint Car/ Micro Star, came from fifth to third on the final lap last year.
Tim Buckwalter of Douglassville, PA, a full-time racer in USAC Sprints, Dirt Modifieds, SpeedSTRs and Micros, finished fourth last year. Austin Quick of Etters, PA, who works full-time in Micro Sprint racing, finished fifth.
To win the top prize of $5,000 last year, Kidd threw caution to the winds to make a brazen outside move on Bright, who had led most of the race.
“He (Bright) gave me the room and I just shot to the outside and held on,” Kidd said. “I’ve been going to Atlantic City since the beginning trying to win there, got close, but never won. I had hoped they (Indoor Auto Racing Series) would do a dirt race, and I’m glad they did,” Kidd exalted.
Kidd’s returning for what he hopes is a second career highlight victory, but the competition will be tougher than ever.
A two car team entered by Tom Fraschetta will be composed of two heavyweights, Lincoln Speedway 410 Sprint champion Brian Montieth of Phoenixville, PA and dirt Modified Super Star Erick Rudolph of Ransomville, NY.
Montieth just missed qualifying for last year’s event, but added experience in a Micro Sprint he should be a contender for the win. Rudolph, fresh off finishing second in the Super DIRTcar big-block Modified series points and winning two other track championships will also rely on his indoor race experience. Rudolph has won three Indoor Racing Series championships in TQ Midget competition on the concrete floor of arenas including one in Trenton.
Lucas Wolfe, 2018 Williams Grove Speedway 410 Sprint champion has also filed an entry. The Mechanicsburg, PA driver will be part of the team entered by Lou Cicconi, Jr. of Aston, PA., who himself will suit up for the event. Scott Kreutter, a Sprint Car regular from Buffalo, NY who won an Indoor Race on the concrete floor in Allentown, Pa. last year, is also entered in a Trey Hoddick No. 49.
Tim Buckwalter, and his cousin Steve of Royersford, PA are returning as is another Sprint driver Joe Trenca of Clay, NY. Brian Carber and his brother Michael, a member of Chase Elliott’s NASCAR Cup team, are also returning.
Dirt Late Model and Modified rising star Mike Maresca of Potsdam, NY, one of racing’s busiest drivers, is also entered after a strong first ever start in a 600 Micro last year.
Other Dirt Modified racing stars include Billy Pauch, Jr., of Frenchtown, NJ, Dominic Buffalino of Sayreville, NJ and Mike Iles of Medford, NJ. Pauch Jr. won the 600 Micro Sprint and SpeedSTR titles this season at Pa.’s Kutztown Action Track.
Popular Ryan Flores, the Indoor Racing Series winner on the concrete floor inside Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall in 2017, will be making his first ever start on dirt. The former New Jersey resident now living in North Carolina, is a tire changer for Ryan Blaney’s Roger Penske owned NASCAR Cup team. Transplanted upstate New York pavement TQ racer Tim Nye of Troutman, NC will also race indoors this season on dirt as well as three concrete series races.
Dirt Micro Sprint racer and another Indoor TQ Midget specialist, Matt Roselli from Brodheadsville, PA is entered along with ARDC Midget standout Eric Heyenreich of Bloomsburg, PA.
This year’s Indoor Dirt Nationals calls for heat races with passing points and four A-qualifier feature races for split fields on both Thursday and Friday night. On Saturday, with all 120 cars on hand, Alphabet mains are scheduled, with racers having the opportunity to advance from double G, F, E, D, C, and B mains to the 50 lap A-Main paying $5,000 to win. Racing will start at 7 PM on Thursday and Friday, 5 PM on Saturday.
The CURE Insurance Arena itself has undergone a makeover from floor to ceiling to enhance the viewing experience for race fans at this year’s Nationals. The goal has been to make the arena one of finest in the state.
Information, including ticket and hotel links, is available at indoorautoracing.com. Other information and select tickets are available by calling the series office during regular working hours at 609-888-3618.
Indoor Auto Racing PR
Two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso and former Formula One and current FIA World Endurance Championship regular Kamui Kobayashi will join full-time co-drivers Jordan Taylor and Renger van der Zande in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R for the upcoming Rolex 24 At Daytona, the 2019 season opener for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Jan. 26-27 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
It will be the second consecutive Rolex 24 appearance for the 37-year-old Alonso and his first event of any kind since embarking on a sabbatical from full-time F1 competition after the 2018 season finale last weekend in Abu Dhabi. It was his 17th F1 season, the last four of which were spent with McLaren.
Kobayashi, the 32-year-old from Japan, is in his third season with Toyota Gazoo Racing and currently co-drives the team’s No. 7 entry, which is second in the superseason standings after runner-up finishes at this season’s rounds at Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans, followed by victories at Fuji Speedway and Shanghai International Circuit.
“First, I have to thank Konica Minolta for yet again supporting WTR, and that I am extremely excited to have added Fernando Alonso and Kamui Kobayashi as teammates for Jordan and Renger at Daytona,” said team owner Wayne Taylor, who in 2017 added four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon to his Rolex 24 lineup that won that year’s twice-around-the-clock endurance marathon and went on to earn the series championship. “Both Fernando and Kamui are the cream of the crop of world-class driving talent, not only in F1 but as current sportscar drivers. It’s taken a long time to put this all together and I’d like to thank everybody who made it all happen. Fernando drove at Daytona last year, and it’ll be the first time at the 24-hour for Kamui, who is a superstar driver who will figure it out quickly. We have plans to integrate both drivers into our program very efficiently and successfully. I’m absolutely ecstatic that we have been able to make this happen, and I can’t wait to get to Daytona.”
Alonso’s first career Rolex 24 took place this past season with the United Autosport LMP2-car effort, which resulted in a 13th-place finish due to mechanical issues. The Spanish driver, who owns 32 career F1 victories and back-to-back world championships in 2005 and 2006, has enjoyed recent success in the WEC. His No. 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing team leads the WEC 2018-19 superseason standings after back-to-back victories at Spa-Francorchamps and his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut, followed by consecutive runner-up finishes at Fuji and Shanghai earlier this month.
“I am very happy about joining the Konica Minolta Cadillac team and Wayne Taylor Racing to race together at the Rolex 24 At Daytona,” said Alonso, who also competed in the 2017 Indianapolis 500 for Andretti Autosport and is slated to compete in the event again in 2019 with McLaren. “This is undoubtedly one of the greatest races in American and world motorsport. Returning to the United States is always special. The atmosphere created by the fans is unique throughout an incredible weekend. I really hope to fight for the win, as well as having fun and putting a smile on the fans’ faces. I made my debut last year both in endurance races and with these sportscar prototypes, as well as on this track. I was left wanting much more after a brake issue ended our hopes of stepping on the podium. After an intense year in which I’ve competed in both Formula One and the WEC, I’m really looking forward to 2019 and attempting to conquer one of the most important races in the world. I’m brimming with hunger and desire and I can’t wait for the first race of next season and going out on track to battle with my Konica Minolta Cadillac teammates.”
Prior to his current success in the WEC, Kobayashi was a fixture on the F1 circuit. He made his F1 debut with Toyota at the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix and followed that with a points-paying finish of sixth at that season’s final race in Abu Dhabi. He then drove for Sauber from 2010 through 2012, highlighted by a podium finish at the Japanese Grand Prix – the first F1 podium by a Japanese driver in 22 years – followed by a season with Caterham in 2014.
“First of all, I would like to thank the Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team and Wayne Taylor for giving me this wonderful opportunity to race at the historic Daytona 24-hour,” Kobayashi said. “It is one of the most popular endurance races and I am so excited to have my Daytona debut with the 2017-winning team. This will also be my first race in the U.S. and I’m really looking forward to having a good race with the Konica Minolta Cadillac team.”
The No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team has been among the most dominating at the Rolex 24 since its inception in 2007. Prior to this past season’s disappointing 15th-place result due to recurring tire issues, the team reeled off five consecutive race-day podiums in the Rolex 24, including the 2017 victory, with a total of 963 laps led from 2013 through 2017. The team is also coming off a thrilling victory at this year’s season-ending Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, where van der Zande executed a dramatic last-lap pass that kept alive its streak of 15 consecutive seasons with at least one win.
“It is super exciting to have Fernando and Kamui joining us for Daytona,” said Jordan Taylor, who was part of the 2017 Rolex 24-winning lineup that included Gordon, Max “The Ax” Angelelli and his older brother Ricky Taylor. “I think we are bringing in two of the top drivers not just in sportscars but in the world of motorsport. Fernando is one of the most-respected and highly rated drivers of our time, and Kamui has been one of the top sportscar drivers over the past few years and the current lap-record holder at Le Mans. It is going to be great to have them join us. They have had such long, successful careers, and I’m sure there will be a lot we can learn from having them with us. We had a very strong second half to our 2018 season and finished it off with the win at the Petit Le Mans, so I can’t wait to get back to the track in Daytona and start our 2019 championship on the right foot. Daytona is a unique event but one that our team has excelled at. It’s my favorite month of the year.”
“Fernando Alonso is a living legend and Kamui is a great driver and we are fortunate to be able to attract the best talent in the world to our program,” said van der Zande, who joined the team last year and promptly qualified the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R on the Rolex 24 pole in his very first race. “It shows the level of this program and it solidifies the fact I’m in the right place, which I knew already. Looking back at last year, I think we had the package to win the championship, but two DNFs prevented that. I think we’re in a very strong position to start the new season at Daytona and there will be a lot of buzz around us. At the same time, we can learn from Fernando and Kamui. They’ve been with so many different teams, so many different cars, so many different people, and to be sharing all of that with us and integrate it into our program, that is only a benefit and, to that end, I’m very excited about it. The main goal is to win the race. That’s their goal, that’s our goal, so we’ll do everything we can together to make that happen.”
The 57th Rolex 24 will be preceded by the annual three days of Roar Before the 24 testing Jan. 4-6. New television partner NBC will provide flag-to-flag coverage of the race on its family of networks.
TSC PR
Modified Standout Tommy Catalano Ready For Allentown, PA Indoor Racing Action, January 3-5
26 Nov 2018 Written by Steven B. WilsonTwenty year old Tommy Catalano, who recently scored his first Tour-Type Modified win in early November at Myrtle Beach, SC, is eagerly anticipating his return to the Indoor Auto Racing Series Fueled By VP Race Fuels events.
The first of three series races to be held on the concrete floors of arenas in three different states will be at the PPL Center in Allentown, PA. The Ironton Telephone sponsored events will be held on Friday and Saturday January 4th and 5th with complete programs including qualifying races and feature events both nights.
“I’ve won some pretty big races up north, but this is the first time I ever won in a Tour Modified,” Catalano, of Ontario, NY, said. “So this is a huge win for us. My next goal is to win an indoor TQ Midget event.”
Catalano and his family-owned team traveled 14 hours - each way - travel from suburban Buffalo, NY to Myrtle Beach to race. This past season they competed on both the Race of Champions and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tours where he won the Rookie of the Year award.
Catalano, who has competed in the Indoor Auto Racing Series for the past several years, has something new up his sleeve for the 2019 season.
He has in the past has run both a Lafler chassis car and an experimental Tim Nye chassis. This car will be his first effort in a TQ Midget with ten, not 13, inch tires.
“I’m building a new car for the Indoor Series,” Catalano revealed. “A wide tire car. We think a 10 inch wide tire is the way to go.”
Catalano will breaking from the norm building a car based around the smaller wheels, something Andy Jankowiak used to win the series finale in Albany, N.Y. in February of 2018.
Though Series rules allow for two different types of wheels, a 10’ and a 13, the majority of the TQs in recent years have been 13’ wheel cars.
The young driver, a Rochester Institute Of Technology (RIT) student, has taken an active role in the development of the new TQ Midget.
Racing against as many as 60 rival drivers and teams, Catalano will be going to post in all three of the series races at Allentown, PA, Atlantic City, NJ and Syracuse, NY this winter.
Catalano and Jankowiak will be joined by several other Modified Touring Series regulars in pursuit of victory.
Heading the list will be Justin Bonsignore of Holtsville, Long Island, NY, and the defending Series champion. Bonsignore is also the reigning NASCAR Whelen Modified Touring Series champion and a winner in Allentown in 2018.
Timmy Solomito, a close friend of Bonsignore and a fellow competitor on the NASCAR Tour from Islip, NY. is also entered.
Timmy Catalano, Tommy’s younger brother, will also be an entrant. Timmy also competed on the Indoor series, the RoC circuit and in local Sport Modified in 2018.
Teenager Andrew Molleur of Shelton, CT., who ran in several NASCAR Whelen Modified and Tri Track Open Modified Series events late in 2018, is also fielding a car for the three-state series for a second season.
Erick Rudolph of Ransomville, NY is expected to once again be a point title contender. Rudolph, who finished second this season on the Super DIRTcar big-block Modified series, has won three Indoor Auto Racing Series titles. The Ransomville, N.Y. hot-shoe has five Indoor Series A-Main wins, second overall to the late Ted Christopher,
The Slingshots will join the TQ Midgets on Saturday’s docket and the Champ Karts will be part of Friday’s double-header. The two divisions will run qualifying races and feature events both nights.
Information, including ticket and hotel links, is available at indoorautoracing.com. Other information and select tickets to all event are available by calling the series office during regular working hours at 609-888-3618.
Tickets for the Allentown races are also available by calling 610-347-TIXX, or stopping at the PPL Center box office at 7th & Hamilton Street in Allentown. Those wishing to avoid online fees may purchase directly at the Box Office, but are encouraged to do so in advance to avoid possible box office lines the day of the event.
The Allentown Indoor Auto Racing race will be preceded by the second annual East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals, a non-point event, set for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, December 13-15, 2018 inside the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, NJ.
Following the Ironton Telephone Allentown Indoor weekend, racing shifts to Atlantic City for the 17th running of NAPA Auto Parts Weekend, highlighted by the running of the prestigious TQ Midget Gamblers Classic. Event dates are Friday and Saturday, January 25-26, 2019
The final event of the Indoor Auto Racing Series Fueled By VP Race Fuels takes place at a new venue, the New York State Fairgrounds Exhibition Center in Syracuse, NY. on Friday and Saturday, March 8-9, 2019.
Indoor Auto Racing PR
NASCAR Modified Ace Timmy Solomito Ready For Indoor Auto Racing Action
24 Nov 2018 Written by Steven B. WilsonNASCAR Modified Touring Series ace Timmy Solomito has the Indoor Auto Racing Series Fueled By VP Race Fuels clearly in his sights. The Islip, NY driver expects to be a contender for victory when the series opens on the concrete floor of Allentown, PA’s PPL Center on January 4-5, 2019 for the Ironton Telephone Indoor race
Solomito, who made his series debut last year, will field his own TQ Midget built by Mark Lafler. After the two feature events in Allentown, Solomito will focus on the NAPA Indoor Racing Weekend on January 25-26 inside historic Atlantic City, N.J.’s Boardwalk Hall.
Solomito may rely on 2018 Indoor Series and NASCAR Whelen Modified champion Justin Bonsignore for a few pointers. The two have a lifelong friendship growing up New York’s Long Island as well as a history of competing against one other.
“Justin (Bonsignore) and I grew up together racing karts and racing Modifieds,” Solomito shared. “He's the best in the Indoor TQ Midgets and the NASCAR Modifieds right now. If I can run with him, I can win races.”
In addition to Bonsignore, three time Indoor Auto Racing Series champion Erick Rudolph will be among the men Solomito will have to contend with. Rudolph, who won the Series crown in 2012, 2015 and 2016, was second to Bonsignore in last year's down-to-the-wire Indoor Series title chase. Rudolph also finished second in this year’s Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modified standings.
Other experienced Indoor TQ drivers filing entries for Allentown include Anthony Payne of Fairlawn, N.J., a first time winner on last year’s series. Other entries include Ryan Tidman, Holland, PA; Tyler Thompson, Fulton, NY; Matt Roselli, Brodheadsville, PA; Jon Reid, Lockport, NY; and the Catalano brothers, Tommy and Timmy from Ontario, NY.
Past Ironton Telephone Allentown TQ Midget feature race winners are Rudolph, who won the inaugural event in January of 2016 in front of a sold out crowd, and Ryan Flores of Cornelius, NC, who swept both nights of the December 2016 events. Bonsignore and Dirt 360 Sprint driver Scott Kreutter from Buffalo, NY had the hot hands indoors last January in the two Indoor TQ features.
The Slingshots will join the TQ Midgets on Saturday’s docket and the Champ Karts will be part of Friday’s double-header. The two divisions will run qualifying races and feature events both nights.
Information, including ticket and hotel links, is available at indoorautoracing.com. Other information and select tickets to all event are available by calling the series office during regular working hours at 609-888-3618.
Tickets for the Allentown races are also available by calling 610-347-TIXX, or stopping at the PPL Center box office at 7th & Hamilton Street in Allentown. Those wishing to avoid online fees may purchase directly at the Box Office, but are encouraged to do so in advance to avoid possible box office lines the day of the event.
The Allentown Indoor Auto Racing race will be preceded by the second annual East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals set for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, December 13-15, 2018 inside the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, NJ.
Following the Ironton Telephone Allentown Indoor weekend, racing shifts to Atlantic City for the 17th running of NAPA Auto Parts Weekend, highlighted by the running of the prestigious TQ Midget Gamblers Classic. Event dates are Friday and Saturday, January 25-26, 2019
The final event of the Indoor Auto Racing Series Fueled By VP Race Fuels takes place at a new venue, the New York State Fairgrounds Exhibition Center in Syracuse, NY. on Friday and Saturday, March 8-9, 2019.
Indoor Auto Racing PR
Logan Seavey Wins Back-To-Back National Midget Racing Titles
22 Nov 2018 Written by Steven B. WilsonToyota driver Logan Seavey collected his second national midget series championship, winning the USAC P1 Insurance National Midget League title ahead of Ventura Raceway’s Turkey Night on Thursday night.
“Not too long ago, I didn’t have a midget ride and here we are with the best team in the world in Keith Kunz Motorsports, winning the USAC championship,” said Seavey.
A Toyota Racing development driver, Seavey captured three victories this season, establishing a 137-point advantage over second place Brady Bacon in the standings to clinch the USAC championship a year after winning the 2017 POWRi Lucas Oil Racing Series title.
“Logan is a very talented racer who has quickly become a driver to watch in American motorsports,” said Laura Pierce, motorsports general manager for Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). “Not only has he captured his second championship, but he also made his Truck Series and ARCA debut this year, contending for wins in both series. Everyone at Toyota is looking forward to seeing what’s next for Logan in the 2019 season.”
In his first season racing for Toyota-powered Keith Kunz Motorsports, Seavey collected nine national midget feature wins (three USAC and six POWRi) and won POWRi’s Illinois Midget Week. Earlier this year, he also made his first-career series starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ARCA Racing Series, where he captured his first ARCA victory at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds.
Toyota drivers amassed 39 national midget feature wins in 2018 and clinched both the USAC and POWRi championships for the fifth time in the manufacturer’s history. Seavey is the sixth Toyota driver to win a USAC driver’s championship, joining Spencer Bayston (2017), Tanner Thorson (2016), Tracy Hines (2015), Rico Abreu (2014) and Christopher Bell (2013).
Toyota Racing PR
Sprint Car Standout Brian Montieth Set For Action In Indoor Dirt Racing Action At Trenton, NJ
22 Nov 2018 Written by Steven B. WilsonKnown affectionately as 'The Edge', Brian Montieth of Phoenixville, PA, will be looking to add another jewel in his racing crown in the December 13-15 East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals Fueled By VP Race Fuels race at the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, NJ.
Montieth, who was an entrant in the inaugural East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals, will be returning to drive a 600cc Micro owned by Tom Fraschetta of King Of Prussia, PA, the same owner Montieth raced for in 2017.
The difference is that the team was assembled at the last minute a year ago; this year Montieth and Fraschetta have a notebook to build upon. Montieth will also have a teammate this year, in Erick Rudolph, who is making his first Indoor appearance on Dirt after dominating the concrete Indoor ovals as a three time Series champion.
Montieth and Rudolph will be in anticipation of the same lighting fast, smooth dustless track conditions that prevailed at last year’s critically acclaimed first East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals.
The entry list for the Indoor Dirt Nationals has been filled with 120 race teams clamoring for the chance to run on the indoor dirt.
Prominent entrants include Tim Buckwalter, of Douglassville, PA, will be driving a No. 71 fielded by Greth Racing and his cousin Steve Buckwalter, from Royersford, PA, who will go to post in Royalton Racing No. 74.
In last year’s inaugural East Coast Dirt Nationals, Tim Buckwalter raced his way to a hard earned fourth place finish. Steve Buckwalter was ultra-competitive as well but failed to transfer out of his B-Main to make the feature.
The First Annual East Coast Dirt Car Nationals was won by 36-year-old Staten Island, N.Y. resident Whitey Kidd, III who executed made a late race pass on Alex Bright to win the thriller over Brian Carber, Tim Buckwalter and Austin Quick. Each of the top five finishers have filed entries for the second running.
This year’s schedule calls for heat races with passing points and four A-qualifier feature races for split fields on both Thursday and Friday night. On Saturday, with all 120 cars on hand, Alphabet mains are scheduled, with racers having the opportunity to advance from G, F, E, D, C, and B, will precede the 50 lap A-Main paying $5,000 to win. Racing will start at 7 PM on Thursday and Friday, 5 PM on Saturday.
The CURE Insurance Arena itself has undergone a makeover from floor to ceiling to enhance the viewing experience for race fans at this year’s Nationals. The goal has been to make the arena one of finest in the state.
Information, including ticket and hotel links, is available at indoorautoracing.com. Other information and select tickets are available by calling the series office during regular working hours at 609-888-3618.
Indoor Auto Racing PR
ARCA Racing Series Schedule Released; 20 Races at 18 Tracks on Tap for 2019
21 Nov 2018 Written by Steven B. Wilson
JR Motorsports Driver Sam Mayer Wins CARS Tour Most Popular Driver Award
21 Nov 2018 Written by Steven B. WilsonSecond generation Wisconsin racer Sam Mayer, 15, was the highest finishing rookie in the 2018 CARS Response Energy Tour late model championship standings, finishing fifth behind his teammate, veteran Josh Berry, and just in front of fellow rookie Layne Riggs, the son of former NASCAR racer Scott Riggs. Mayer was also voted the series’ most popular driver in a poll conducted by southeast late model media Race22.com.
Mayer, the son of former Indy Car and IMSA racer Scott Mayer, competed for Dale Earnhardt Jr’s JR Motorsports team, scoring one win, three top five and nine top ten finishes on the season. The personable young racer was appreciative of the award and thankful for the opportunity to race for JR Motorsports.
“This season has been insane,” he smiled. “I’ve gone to so many new tracks, in so many different cars. But being a most popular driver in a series is cool and humbling. Obviously, we would have liked to have won some more races in the CARS series this year, but just the chance to race with JR Motorsports is amazing and I have learned so much from Josh and everyone there.”
When Mayer talks of the variety of different cars he’s driven, he’s not kidding. He won the 2018 Bojangles Summer Shootout Pro Series title at Charlotte Motor Speedway racing a legends car for Farbo Motorsports. He started seven NASCAR K&N Pro Series races this season, garnering two top five and three top ten finishes driving for Jefferson Pitts Racing and MDM Motorsports, and he also ran twice in the ARCA Racing Series for MDM Motorsports and finished in the top ten in both starts.
All of those accomplishments came after his initial outing in a super late model at New Smyrna Speedway in February of this year, where he competed in the 52nd World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing against some of the best in the nation in the division and missed winning the series championship by one point after doing battle with drivers like NASCAR Camping World Truck Series racer Harrison Burton, NASCAR Xfinity Series racer Ty Majeski and late model veterans Stephen Nasse and Jeff Choquette.
That time at New Smyrna established Mayer as a potential future star in the sport and showed insiders from the grassroots level to NASCAR that he had the talent and the mental focus to compete and beat drivers two and three times his age who have been racing and winning for decades in many cases.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing what 2019 has in store for me,” Mayer said. “We haven’t put all of our plans in place yet, but whatever opportunities I have, I am ready to do whatever it takes to be successful and I am thankful for everyone who helps make it possible for me to do what I love.”
Sam Mayer PR
Jonathan Findley Racing and McCallister Precision Marketing have announced that Solid Rock Carriers of La Grange, N.C., will be the primary sponsor of Findley’s No. 4 Ford during the Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park on Nov. 23-25.
704Games Crowns Inaugural NASCAR Heat Champions Winner in Grand Finale
20 Nov 2018 Written by Steven B. WilsonHunter Mullins, of Henry, VA was crowned the winner of the inaugural NASCAR Heat Champions: Road to Miami Finale presented by Xfinity Sunday morning at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
In a thrilling race, Hunter Mullins bested eleven other drivers on NASCAR Heat 3 to win $10,000 in prize money, an Audeze Mobius gaming headset, a Thrustmaster TX Racing Wheel Leather Edition, and an exclusive race weekend package from Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"This is truly a dream come true," Mullins said. "As an avid gamer, I'm so glad NASCAR and 704Games have partnered to make a significant move into esports. I'd like to thank the other drivers I competed against. The race was up for grabs until the very end and I'm just so glad I was the one to cross the finish line first."
704Games, NASCAR's exclusive esports partner for simulation-style video games on console platforms, hosted a weekly tournament spanning the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs from Sept. 10 through Nov. 11. Nine fans with the fastest total race times on NASCAR Heat 3 qualified for the final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The nine finalists were flown to Miami for the Ford Championship Weekend to battle it out against each other, as well as three additional fans who qualified on Friday and Saturday leading up to the Finals, for the first-ever NASCAR esports championship on gaming consoles.
"NASCAR Heat Champions: Road to Miami was a fantastic event for us," said Ed Martin, President of 704Games. "We had tens of thousands of people competing online during Road to Miami all coming down to this incredible finale. With huge 2019 esports initiatives in the process of being finalized, this was just a taste of things to come."
NASCAR Heat Champions: Road to Miami is the conclusion of a joint effort from 704Games and NASCAR to engage racing fans and gamers through esports. The mass-market reach of NASCAR Heat 3 creates an unparalleled esports opportunity for NASCAR fans around the country. In 2019, 704Games, in partnership with NASCAR, will look to expand NASCAR Heat Champions to engage esports fans globally.
"In partnership with 704 Games, we provided our fans with a unique at-track experience by putting them behind the wheel for a chance to capture a championship in Homestead," said Blake Davidson, vice president of Consumer Innovation. "This tournament accentuates our growing presence in esports and provided both new and avid fans an opportunity to engage with our sport."
NASCAR Heat 3 is available on the PlayStation®4 system, Xbox One and Windows PC via Steam. Fans can also download a free trial on game consoles.
704 Games PR
